Cherokee Strip Adventures

Your visit to the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is a great beginning to an unforgettable Northwest Oklahoma adventure!

Let the Heritage Center help you make the most of your time in the Cherokee Strip.  The "What's Next" section features a number of remarkable attractions that are unlike any other in the United States.  The attractions are divided into four categories:  Museums, State Parks, Chisholm Trail Sites and Lakes.  This must-see attraction information is also available on the Visitor Kiosk in the Heritage Center Lobby.  

Museums

Ames Astrobleme Museum

The Ames Astrobleme is one of the most remarkable and studied geological features in the world because of its economic significance. Located in Ames, Oklahoma, the Ames Crater meteorite impact site is one of only six oil-producing craters in the United States, and is one of the largest producing craters, with 20 million barrels of oil and 130 billion cubic feet of gas.

Visitors to the open air museum will learn about the meteorite that hit the area 450 million years ago, producing a crater thousands of feet deep and 8 miles in diameter. The crater cannot be seen on the surface of the earth today because it was subsequently buried by 9,000 feet of sediment, and it remained unrecognized until 1991.

The museum is open 24 hours a day and is free to the public. It is the only museum of its kind in the United States. For more information, please visit www.amescrater.com

Conoco Museum

Built and dedicated as a Centennial gift to the State of Oklahoma, the Conoco Museum opened in May 2007. Following the two companies merging, ConocoPhillips celebrated the heritage of the new company with sister museums. The Phillips Petroleum Company museum is located in Bartlesville, OK and The Conoco Museum located in Ponca City, OK.

The Conoco Museum is a world-class facility depicting the success of Conoco and the thousands of employees bonded by old-fashioned practicality and sheer determination. The museum features six exhibit areas: Throughout the exhibits you'll find over 20 flat screen TVs, interactive kiosks with photos, videos and games and a theater featuring the film “Pioneering Spirit”. In A Proud Heritage see a reconstruction of E.W. Marland's boardroom and learn about the challenges of the 1981 takeover bid. Ponca City Proud features the development of the Ponca City refinery through computer-generated images taken during construction and a hands-on exhibit of how a fractionation tower works. Generation to Generation gives a glimpse of the family atmosphere at Conoco through stories from lifetime Conocoans. The spirit of innovation and technological achievements lies at the heart of Getting to the Future First. Experience what it was like to work in a 1950s Research and Development laboratory. Setting the Pace shows the company teamwork and achievements. Visit an outdoor doodlebugger work site; learn about drillships, double-hulled tankers and tension-leg platforms. Marketing Conoco shows the company's award-winning marketing campaigns. Watch Conoco commercials and see Conoco-branded merchandise. Visit a replica gas station complete with an operative gravity-fed gasoline pump.

The Conoco Museum
501 W. South Ave.
Take the Ponca City exit off 1-35. Follow Highway 60 East to Ponca City. Museum is located directly across the street from the ConocoPhillips complex.
Ponca City, OK
Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
(580) 765-8687
www.conocomuseum.com

Free Admission
Group tours available

Freedom Museum

A Pioneer Heritage based museum with a rare archeological exhibit on the Burnham dig.

Hours of Operation: Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Weekend Hours by Arrangement

505 Main Street
Freedom, OK 73842
(580) 621-3533

Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse

Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse opened in 1995 as a hands-on art and science museum, dedicated to enriching and inspiring children of all ages by creating fun learning opportunities.
We continue to find new and exciting ways to fulfill our mission of "enriching and inspiring children of all ages by creating fun learning opportunities."
Hours Open:
Tuesday - Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday: 1 - 5 pm
(Closed Mondays)
Adventure Quest - Hours above (weather permitting)

Admission:
All Day Admission: $7
Children under two: Free
Groups of 12 or more: $5
(indoor and outdoor play areas)
Save with family memberships!
(scholarships available with demonstrated need)

Phone: 580-233-2787

Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse
200 E. Maple
Enid, OK 73701
2nd and Maple, Downtown Enid, Oklahoma

Website: www.leonardos.org

Email: marketing@leonardos.org

Midgley Museum

Enid's Midgley Museum (The Rock House) was a gift to the city of Enid given by Dan and Libby Midgley and their daughter Eva Fothergill.. The Midgley Museum is operated by Enid Masonic Lodge # 80 and the Eastern Star Chapter of Enid. The museum is located at 1001 Sequoyah Drive in Enid. The museum faces the park at the Southwest intersection of US Highways 81 and 412.

This unique museum was the home of Dan and Libby Midgley. The Midgleys planned the house and collected the rocks, fossils, and petrified wood that make up the exterior walls and interior fireplaces of the museum. There are thirty four different kinds of stones used in the building. These stones were collected in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arkansas. Most of these rocks and fossils were found near Lake Texoma. The enormous stump at the front of the house near the street is fossilized redwood it was found near Woodward Oklahoma.

Stepping into the Midgley Museum is a step back in time. It contains items from the mid nineteenth century to the mid twentieth century. There are many artifacts associated with daily life. These items include early day electric toasters to cut glassware. There are display cases containing toys, gems, fossils, early tools and memorabilia. A bedroom and parlor are furnished as in the early years of the last century. There are also collections of stamps, coins, sharks teeth, and arrowheads.

The museum also contains two unusual rooms. One is a trophy room that includes buffalo, a Royal Canadian elk, moose, javelinas and other trophies. This room was constructed with reinforced walls designed to accommodate the additional weight of the displays. The other room is a closet filled with florescent rocks that only reveal their brilliance and beauty in black light.

Free Admission, Group and Special Showing welcome by appointment. 580-234-7265
http://www.midgleymuseum.org/     Closed November 1st - March 31st
Email: mike@midgleymuseum.org

Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum

The Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum was once the home of world renowned Wild West Showman, Gordon W. “Pawnee Bill” Lillie. The 500-acre historic site includes Pawnee Bill’s mansion, which is available for guided tours, an original log cabin, blacksmith shop, observation tower, and big barn. There is also a modern museum with exhibits related to Pawnee Bill, the Wild West Shows, and the Pawnee tribe. The wonderfully stocked museum store features unique, handcrafted items, jewelry, toys, and a variety of books.

The Ranch is day-use facility and hosts weddings, family reunions, and family parties. There is also a children’s fishing pond. The beautiful Pawnee Bill Ranch is an excellent destination for field trips and there are special educational programs provided upon request to school groups. Pawnee Bill was well known for his work in bison conservation. In that tradition, the Ranch is still a working bison ranch. Visitors may see bison, longhorn cattle, and draft horses. Every summer on the last three Saturdays in June, a re-enactment of Pawnee Bill’s Original Wild West Show is held on the Ranch grounds. This family friendly event is truly entertainment at its wildest!

The Ranch is located ½ miles west of Pawnee on US 64. April through October the hours of operation are: Sunday and Monday, open 1:00-4:00 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday, open 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. November through March the hours of operation are: closed Monday and Tuesday, Sundays open from 1:00-4:00 p.m., and Wednesday through Saturday open from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

For more information, please call (918) 762-2513 or pawneebillranch.com.

Pioneer Woman Museum

Galleries house relevant artifacts from pioneer era homes and ranches, and histories of the women who came to Oklahoma during the land run era and in the generations that followed. Here are women who have made a difference in the arts, in aviation, business, civil rights, education, health and welfare, history, the military, music, politics, and women’s suffrage.

The southwest gallery features women who have contributed to Oklahoma’s rich musical history, opening doors to new opportunities, new sounds and new technologies. The current exhibit features Oklahoma’s women of rock and roll. In the future, the exhibit will explore the contributions of outstanding female artists who have contributed to country music, blues, jazz, and more. This gallery reaches across generational boundaries, recalling youthful memories and experiences, and giving wings to today’s budding artists. Step back and be inspired!

The Pioneer Woman is located at the intersection of 14th and Lake Road in Ponca City, Oklahoma. It is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $4, Adults. $3.50, Seniors. $1, Students.

You may contact the museum by calling 580-765-6108. www.pioneerwomanmuseum.com

Railroad Museum of Oklahoma

Founded by local people and representing the culmination of several years of work and determination by the members, our museum maintains a vast collection of unique railroad items, including a rail yard containing a collection of rolling stock, dining car china and silverware, bells, lights, whistles and lanterns, a reference library of books, photos and videotapes, and operating HO and N-gauge model railroads.

This museum represents one of the largest collections of railroad material in the United States.

580-233-3051     http://www.railroadmuseumofoklahoma.org/

Simpson's Old Time Museum

Visit Simpson's Old Time Museum and Skeleton Creek Productions Movie Studio and step back into the Old West. You'll find wide variety of collections and artifacts. Hopalong Cassidy memorabilia, baseball collectibles, train sets and wide range of military items from the cavalry days through WWII are just a few of the many displays found in the museum. Browse through the Native American artifacts and view a private doll collection that numbers over 1800.

In the center of the museum is an authentic chuck wagon complete with a campfire and cook. Surrounding the chuck wagon scene on a split rail fence is a large collection of high back saddles dating back to 1900.  There are also several indoor movie sets.

Listen to honky-tonk piano music and sip an ice cold sarsaparilla in the 1880's Saloon. If you get too rowdy you might get taken to the marshal's office and thrown in our 1880's Jail. Visit our 1880's Hotel Lobby complete with stairway and see our hotel hallway and authentic hotel room. See how the cowboys lived in a real line shack, shop in our General Store or have a quiet moment in our 1880's Church.

Bring your camera and come join in on the fun! We're right downtown Enid at 228 E. Randolph.
Open: Monday - Saturday 8:00 am - 11:00 am, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
IT'S ALL FREE and we'd love to have ya!

http://www.skeletoncreekproductions.com/m-museum.html

Waynoka Station and the Waynoka Air and Rail Museum

Waynoka had its beginnings as aUS Post Office,railroad siding and cattle shipping pointin 1887 when the Santa Fe Railroad constructed the Belen Cutoff across the Cherokee Outlet.

The Harvey House at Waynoka, with its California mission-style architecture,had a lunch counter, formal dining room, and news and cigar stand on the first floor, and quarters for the Harvey Girls on the second floor. Several passenger trains stopped daily at the Waynoka Harvey House where travelers enjoyed the ambience of Fred Harvey food and hospitality. One such visitor to Harvey House was Amelia Earhart.

In 1929, Charles Lindbergh selected Waynoka as the site for a division point on the new coast-to-coast air and rail passenger service, Transcontinental Air Transport. Flying in daylight and riding trains at night, passengers could travel coast to coast in 48 hours.

Waynoka Station is the complex of history and historic buildings at Waynoka. The Waynoka Air Rail Museum is one of Oklahoma's finest transportation museums. The Santa Fe Depot and Harvey House, both on the National Register of Historic Places, have been beautifully restored with funds from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Waynoka Historical Society.

Waynoka Stationalso showcases a diesel locomotive,a 1904 pioneer log cabin, a 1918 railroad section foreman's house, and a railroad scale house. Dining is available at El Charro Restaurantin the Harvey House.

The complex is on the BNSF Transcon, one of America's fastest and busiest rail lines. A visit to Waynoka is both educational and exciting. Little Sahara State Park, one of the best off-road-vehicle parks in the Midwest,is three miles south of Waynoka.

For further information:
call 580-824-1886 or 580-824-2261 or email at: waynokahs@hotmail.com
Visit us at: waynoka.org

Museum hours:
12:30 - 4:30 p.m., Tuesday - Saturday or by appointment

Restaurant hours:
11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday
11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Sunday.

State Parks

Alabaster Caverns State Park

The highlight of the 200-acre Alabaster Caverns State Park is the ¾ mile cavern formed of alabaster, a form of gypsum, making it the largest natural gypsum cave in the world that is open to the public. Daily guided tours of the cavern are available at the top of each hour from 9am-4pm. For safety reasons, each tour has a maximum number of visitors. A fee is charged for the tour. Group tour reservations are required at least two weeks in advance. The park also features RV and other camping areas as well as hiking trails, picnic areas, group shelters with electricity, grills, water, a horseshoe pit, and a volleyball court.

Office: 580-621-3381
Email: alabastercaverns@oklahomaparks.com
Naturalist Email: tkeenan@oklahomaparks.com
www.travelok.com

Gloss Mountains

Gloss Mountain State Park is located in the heart of a sporadic chain of red flat top mesas that meander across western Major County, Oklahoma.  If you are into hiking, climbing, and exploring, a trail and stairway system is in place at Gloss Mountain State Park. You may hike from the lower parking lot and picnic area to the top of Cathedral Mountain. From the south rim of Cathedral Mountain, follow the trail north to view Lone Peak and observe the scenic view in every direction.

While at the Park, enjoy the interesting views of Cheyenne Valley, the Cimarron River, working oil pump jacks, numerous ponds, rock formations, wildlife and a view that never ends. The Gloss Mountain State Park is located 40 minutes west of Enid, Oklahoma on U.S. 412. Hours: Dawn-Dusk.

Phone: (580) 227-2512       Fax: (580) 227-2513
Email: majoredc@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.okmajordev.org

The Great Salt Plains

Highlights:
Selenite Crystal Digging (April-October 15)
Spring Crystal Festival
Pelican Festival (Fall)
Spring & Fall Guided Birding Tours

Features/Facilities:
· 840 Park Acres
· 8,890 Acre Great Salt Plains Reservoir & Salt Flats (Adjacent to the Park)
· 6 Cabins (Heated & Air-conditioned)
· 3 Campgrounds
· 64 Water/Electric RV Sites
· 106 Tent Sites
· Assigned Campground
· Community Building
· Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge
· Swimming Beach
· Equestrian Trail
· Boating
· Fishing
· Nature Trail
· Bird Tours

Great Salt Plains State Park
Route 1, Box 28
Jet, OK 73749
Office: 580-626-4731
Fax: 580-626-4730
greatsaltplains@oklahomaparks.com
www.oklahomaparks.com
8 miles north of Jet on SH-38 in northwestern Oklahoma

Chisholm Trail Sites

Chisholm Trail Heritage Center

In Duncan, Oklahoma, open 10:00 to 5:00 Monday thru Saturday and 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday. An exquisite bronze statue entitled "On the Chisholm Trail" by artist Paul Moore flanks the Heritage Center. This incredible work of art captures the spirit of the era with longhorns, horses, and cowboys.  The T. H. McCasland Jr. Experience Theater offers a fascinating and fun look back into the life, hardships and historical significance of the Chisholm Trail. Guests’ senses are stampeded. Campfire Theater features two animatronics, Jesse Chisholm and his friend Tex, who meet around the campfire on a trail drive and discuss life as a cowboy and what they think this trail might be named.

The museum also features interactive exhibits, games, and even a life size steer for roping. Trained docents who are well read on the subject at hand and are always on the floor to assist people and answer questions, whether it is for one or groups of thirty.  The Garis Gallery of the American West houses an extensive western art collection. Visitors can learn about the art and artists by use of a self-guided audio tour providing historic perspective and background information about featured art and artists. Artist includes Remington, Russell, Caitlin, Bierstadt & Allen Houser to name a few.

Chisholm Trail Walkway is the longest facsimile of the Chisholm Trail. This miniature of the original trail features a number of historic markers placed in the textured concrete and leads our guests from the parking lot to the “On the Chisholm Trail Monument.”

Lakes

Canton Lake

Canton Lake is located in western Oklahoma on the North Canadian River, 2 miles north of the town of Canton on highway 58A. This man-made lake offers extensive opportunity for outdoor recreational activities. Canton Lake plays host to a large number of campers, picnickers, boaters, fishermen, and hunters every year. It is one of the few places that offer these types of recreational opportunities in western Oklahoma. Its gently sloping natural sandy beach is an open invitation for swimming and sunbathing. Water skiing is popular on the broad expanse of water paralleling the dam where winds are subdued. Services and supplies are available on access roads leading to project areas and at the commercial concession at the lake. The Corps of Engineers operates five multi-use recreation areas that offer a combination of overnight camping and day-use opportunities to the visiting public with boat ramps, picnic areas, RV and tent campsites, group shelters, restrooms, showers, and both 30 amp and 50 amp electric sites. Other features include a nature trail, overlook visitor center, outdoor amphitheater, scenic drive, and active prairie dog town.

Telephone (580) 886-2989. Lake information can be found on the Tulsa District website at: www.swt.usace.army.mil.

Kaw Lake

No matter the season it’s a great day to be on Kaw Lake in north-central Oklahoma, Nature’s Playground.

Winter- Kaw Lake has one of the largest populations of nesting bald eagles in the winter. Peak viewing is usually during January and February. Eagles are highlighted in the annual Ultimate Eagle Watch held the third Saturday in January.

Spring- Corps campgrounds open March 1 and the gate attendants come on duty April 1. Reservations for the most popular holiday weekends including Memorial Weekend, Fourth of July and Labor Day should be made by early spring to insure your favorite site. The Eagle View Hiking Trail starts at the south end of the lake by Osage Cove. Horseback riders will be thrilled with the improvements to the Five Fingers Equestrian Trail.

Summer- Memorial Weekend kicks off the summer season at Kaw Lake. For campers reservations are highly recommended for weekend camping. Pricing varies from $12-$18 a day. Two swim beaches provide ample opportunity for swimming and sunbathing. Sandy Beach at the south end of Kaw Lake just east of the dam is $1 per person or $4 a car load. Pioneer Cove Beach just east of Kaw City is free to the public. Day boater’s fee is $3 per day and payable by depositing your money in an envelope at one of the many boat ramps. Keep the receipt to show if you are asked for it. Fishing for blue cat and crappie is great at Kaw Lake.

Fall- The word is out to duck hunters this is the place to come. The Kaw Wildlife Management area is also number one in the state for deer harvest. For more information consult the Oklahoma Wildlife Department website at www.wildlifedepartment.com.

For more information contact the Kaw Lake Association, 580-762-9494, 877-671-6985 (toll free) or go to www.kawlake.com